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Posted by Mark W on April 26, 2006 at 22:13:18:
DIR gets a pretty bad rap at this site: http://www.njscuba.net/gear/trng_08_dir.html
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DIR is a poor form of advanced training for inexperienced divers. Unfortunately, many of the people who take DIR-F classes are so naive as divers that they end up being completely taken-in by what they are presented. Beginners lack the experience by which to critically evaluate what they are taught in such a class. They come away with a sense of awe for cave divers, and a dangerously undeserved confidence in their new diving "skills." Organizations like TDI offer much better alternatives to DIR-F, unless you specifically want to become a cave diver.
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To spread their teachings, DIR adherents have developed the DIR-F course, or "DIR-Fundamentals". This is DIR for open-water divers, and is marketed aggressively to beginning divers as advanced training. While many aspects of DIR make sense in a cave environment, and are at least workable in open-water, they are far from optimal in the ocean. This is especially true for North Atlantic ocean wreck diving, where many DIR concepts are flawed and even dangerous. ***
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